Elizabeth I: A Novel

New York Times best-selling author Margaret George captures history's most enthralling queen-as she confronts rivals to her throne and to her heart. One of today's premier historical novelists, George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma - the Virgin Queen who had many suitors; the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel-bedecked woman who pinched pennies.

Helen of Troy: A Novel

Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now Margaret George, the highly acclaimed best-selling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.

Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen: A Novel

A princess of Spain, Catalina is only 16 years old when she sets foot on the shores of England. The youngest daughter of the powerful monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Catalina is a coveted prize for a royal marriage - and Arthur, Prince of Wales and heir to the English throne, has won her hand. But tragedy strikes, and Catalina, now Princess Katherine, is betrothed to the future Henry VIII.

The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity

Mary Magdalene is one of the most influential symbols in the history of Christianity - yet, if you look in the Bible, you'll find only a handful of verses that speak of her. How did she become such a compelling saint in the face of such paltry evidence? In her effort to answer that question, Cynthia Bourgeault examines the Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly discovered texts to see what's there.

Magdalen Rising: The Beginning

Young Magdalen and Jesus, brimming with youthful charm and arrogance, find each other and fall in love, forging a bond that is stronger than death. Their pleasure is overshadowed by a brilliant but unbalanced druid who knows a perilous secret about Maeve's past. The prequel to The Passion of Mary Magdalen.

Three Sisters, Three Queens

From the number-one New York Times best-selling author behind the upcoming Starz original series The White Princess, a gripping new Tudor story featuring King Henry VIII's sisters Mary and Margaret, along with Katherine of Aragon, vividly revealing the pivotal roles the three queens played in Henry VIII's kingdom.

The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal That Ignited a Kingdom

Catherine de' Medici was a ruthless pragmatist and powerbroker who dominated the throne for 30 years. Her youngest daughter, Marguerite, the glamorous "Queen Margot," was a passionate free spirit, the only adversary whom her mother could neither intimidate nor control.

Constant Princess

Best-selling author Philippa Gregory introduces one of her most unforgettable heroines: Katherine of Aragon. Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. When they meet and are married, the match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. But tragically, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his young bride a deathbed promise to marry his brother Henry, become Queen, and fulfill their dreams and her destiny.

A.D. 30: A Novel

The outcast daughter of one of the most powerful Bedouin sheikhs in Arabia, Maviah is called on to protect the very people who rejected her. When their enemies launch a sudden attack with devastating consequences, Maviah escapes with the help of two of her father's warriors - Saba who speaks more with is sword than his voice and Judah, a Jew who comes from a tribe that can read the stars. Their journey will be fraught with terrible danger.

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici: A Novel

In this brilliantly imagined novel, acclaimed author C. W. Gortner brings Catherine to life in her own voice, allowing us to enter the intimate world of a woman whose determination to protect her family’s throne and realm plunged her into a lethal struggle for power. From the fairy-tale chateaux of the Loire Valley to the battlefields of the wars of religion to the mob-filled streets of Paris, this is the extraordinary untold journey of one of the most maligned and misunderstood women ever to be queen.

The Red Tent

Passionate, earthy, deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable contribution to modern fiction: a vibrant new perspective of female life in the age that shaped present day civilization and values.

If you like The Red Tent, try The Harlot by the Side of the Road, a recounting of some of the most startling and explicit writings from The Old Testament.

The Secret Magdalene

Raised like sisters, Mariamne and Salome are indulged with riches and learning - a rare thing for females in ancient Jerusalem. But Mariamne has a further gift: an illness has left her with the power of prophecy. After seven years in exile, they return to a Judea, where many now believe John the Baptizer is the messiah. Salome too begins to believe, but Mariamne, now called Magdalene, is drawn to his cousin, Yeshu'a, a man touched by the divine in the same way she was during her days of illness.

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis: The Vampire Chronicles, Book 12

At the novel's center: the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, hero, leader, inspirer, irresistible force, irrepressible spirit, battling (and ultimately reconciling with) a strange otherworldly form that has somehow taken possession of Lestat's undead body and soul. This ancient and mysterious power and unearthly spirit of vampire lore has all the force, history, and insidious reach of the unknowable universe.

White Queen

They ruled England before the Tudors, and now internationally best-selling author Philippa Gregory brings the Plantagenets to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women.

The Vatican Princess: A Novel of Lucrezia Borgia

Glamorous and predatory, the Borgias fascinated and terrorized 15th-century Renaissance Italy, and Lucrezia Borgia, beloved daughter of the pope, was at the center of the dynasty's ambitions. Slandered as a heartless seductress who lured men to their doom, was she in fact the villainess of legend, or was she trapped in a familial web, forced to choose between loyalty and survival?

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn

Robin Maxwell’s debut novel introduces Anne Boleyn and her daughter, Elizabeth: one was queen for a thousand days, the other for more than 40 years. Both were passionate, headstrong women, loved and hated by Henry VIII. At the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign, her mother’s private diary is given to her by a mysterious lady. In reading it, the young ruler - herself embroiled in a dangerous love affair - discovers a great deal about her much maligned mother.

The Centurion’s Wife: Acts of Faith, Book 1

Three-time Christy Award winner Davis Bunn collaborates with Janette Oke to evoke the tumult of first-century Judea in the wake of Christ’s crucifixion. Although she prefers service in Pontius Pilate’s palace to a loveless marriage, Leah is betrothed to a Roman centurion. Before he can have Leah, however, he must go on a secret mission. But when a rabbi’s missing body sends Leah and Alban after the same answers, what they discover could change all they hold dear.

Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey

The child of a scheming father and ruthless mother, Lady Jane Grey is born during a time when ambition dictates action. Cousin to Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, she is merely a pawn in a political and religious game in which one false step means a certain demise. But Lady Jane has remarkable qualities that help her to withstand the constant pressures of the royal machinery far better than most expect.

Esther: A Royal Beauty

When Xerxes, king of Persia, issues a call for beautiful young women, Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa, is forcibly taken to the palace of the pagan ruler. After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king's heart and a queen's crown. But because her situation is uncertain, she keeps her ethnic identity a secret until she learns that an evil and ambitious man has won the king's permission to exterminate all Jews - young and old, powerful, and helpless.

America's First Daughter: A Novel

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, best-selling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph - a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

The Book of Love

Maureen Paschal thought she might rest and work on her book after discovering the gospel written by Mary Magdalene that revealed Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. The truth of their story rocked the world and made Maureen a target of those who did not like her discovery and a heroine to those who did.

Publisher's Summary

The New York Times best-selling author of Elizabeth I brilliantly reimagines the story of the most mysterious woman in the Bible.

Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared - and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific "Apostle to the Apostles". Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration. In a vivid re-creation of Mary Magdalene's life story, Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman's voice as she moves from girlhood to womanhood, becomes part of the circle of disciples, and comes to grips with the divine. Grounded in biblical scholarship and secular research, this fascinating historical novel is also, ultimately, "the diary of a soul".

Considering how very little is known about Mary Magdalene, this is a masterful imagining of her story. It brings to life what it must have been like to be one of Jesus' disciples, and their struggles to understand Him, their fear at His arrest, and their desolation at His death. The one part I could have done without was the too-lengthy post-resurrection story of her attempts to find her daughter, and their many mis-communications: it was long and somewhat tedious. I understand its necessity in the story but just didn't find it compelling.

Margaret George writes historical novels and this is the most beautiful story. Read over the years during the Easter Season Ms. George brings to life a woman who holds a significant place in the life and times of Christ. Please read with good heart.

Yes- there is so much real- geographical historical data and so many important messages that I know I must hear it again. "He who has ears, let them hear."

What did you like best about this story?

A bit of history, a bit of speculation but all in all- a wonderful journey!

Which character – as performed by Kate Reading – was your favorite?

Mary and then, unfortunately....Judas...!

Who was the most memorable character of Mary, Called Magdalene and why?

Jesus and Blessed Mother. I also loved meeting Jo-Anna and Susanna.

Any additional comments?

Mary Magdelene has been my Patron Saint for a very long time. This book helps bring to life part of her amazing, yet still somewhat mysterious life on earth and relationship as a true disciple of Christ.

For a historical fiction novel, I believe Margaret George captured a pretty good glimpse into what life may have been like during the time of Jesus and the relationship that developed over the years of his ministry and the years after his resurrection and ascending to heaven.

Margaret George wrote two of my all time favorite books: The Autobiography of King Henry VIII and Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles so I was very excited when Mary, Called Magdalene popped up on my suggested reading list. The book starts off as very promising and very interesting. What I had trouble getting past was the terrible narration which I stuck out for more than half the book. At that point, I had begun to lose interest and finally gave up.

I actually contacted Margaret George about this book. I really enjoy her books. She is one of my favorite authors. However, I was disturbed because of some of what I consider to be, major flaws in this novel.

I will admit I am not the average reader. I am an academic, a scholarly researcher, with a Ph.D. Ms. George explained her decisions to write the things I had problems with. She told me she had written a novel and that was a novelist and an entertainer, not a scholar. The decisions were based on that and her need to please her target audience. I told her that I understood this completely.

Now, these are my problems:

The names of her main characters: Jesus and Mary were not called by these names in their lifetime. They were Jews. They would have been Joshua and Miriam.

The disciples and Jesus call themselves Christians. Christianity did not come into being until at least 100 years after the death of Jesus. They were all Jews who did not intend to start a new religion, but to reform Judiasm.

There were no synagogues. Formal worship was carried out in the Temple in Jerusalem by priests. Other worship was carried out in the home. Rabbis are teachers, not in any way equivalent to priests. Anyone can lead a service in Judiasm. Synagogues emerged after the destruction of the second temple of Solomon in 70 CE.

I did enjoy this book. I especially liked how Ms George explained "Mary"s" personality and her innate goodness. I thought that her description of how she became a disciple aand her prominence in the movement was excellent storytelling. The rejection the character experienced by her family was very realistic and common in extremely observant Jewish families, even today.

I have listened to this book, twice and plan on listening to it again. I have also purchased it in print format. I recommend it. It is a good book, however I did have some misgivings as a scholar and a Jew.

The narrator was horrible! Her voice was almost robotic. The story however was great. Extremely fictional in many areas but still a lovely story. Margaret George is an amazing author! I just do not recommend it as an audio book read by this reader!